Tokyo in All Its Shades of Black

Two things that independently make me a little unhinged: Adidas Superstars—specifically, the way I destroy them, grinding the soles down like I have a personal grievance against pavement—and Tokyo. Tokyo because it’s Tokyo. The kind of city you either love or you haven’t been paying attention; no middle ground available.

For the tenth anniversary of the first Adidas Originals store there, the label put out the "Made For Tokyo" package: 150 limited, individually numbered pairs, every surface in black. Leather, rubber, each material in a slightly different shade of the same non-color—the way good Japanese design works, finding infinite variation inside a single constraint. Each pair came with a matching jacket. A genuine collector’s object from a city that knows how to make one.